"It doesn't appear anywhere," Ms Quinn replied, glancing at her notes of the statement she took from TB in 1983.

"I would have recorded a question that was asked."

Stepfather had long history of abusing children

Ms Quinn agreed she interviewed the stepfather and he admitted abusing the girls. Their mother also confirmed it to her, she said.

She said the mother thought she had taken steps to protect them. The court heard this involved her telling the girls to "kick and scream" when she was out at night and asking the stepfather to attend counselling.

Ms Quinn agreed that from the outset, she knew the stepfather had a long history of sexually abusing children dating back to the 1960s and that he was, at the time, on bail for raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint.

She agreed that just weeks after the girls reported their abuse, the stepfather had moved back into the family home.